Remus and the Cats
by maraudersgeek
Summary: Sad, lonely, 8 year old Remus Lupin does have some favorite things, including chocolate, tea, and cats!


He gingerly lifted himself up, perching himself on the windowsill. It was a warm summer day and the sun was shining through the window. He squinted, but quite enjoyed the warmth. It was nice to feel anything soft and warm on his skin which was often sore and always scarred. He sighed thinking of his scars and the reason he had them, the reason his mom and dad had moved them yet again to anther town. A new town, a new house, a new bedroom, a new windowsill. His parents were busy unpacking and setting up, his father closing the shades, so he could levitate the furniture around while his mother unpacked books by hand. His parents had decided a few of years ago that it would be easier to live around muggles, they were slower to catch on that something was amiss at the Lupin house. Muggles don't know the signs, couldn't always see the pattern of his 'illnesses', but wizards, they become suspicious more quickly. Muggles always begin to wonder eventually though and when they do the Lupins begin preparations to move. This was the third house in the same number of years, and Remus knew that there had a been a few others, when he was younger, after he was first bitten, though he didn't remember much of them.

He turned his head, looking out the window, trying to distract himself from his thoughts by taking in his surroundings. Their four-room house was set off from the dirt road a bit, a big enough space in the front for his mom to start a garden, or so she said when she was trying to make this move sound fun rather than depressing. There were a few other houses down the street a-ways on each end, all as small and unassuming as theirs. Nobody to get too close, as his father said.

Nobody. How Remus wished that wasn't true. For the last four years it had been only him and his parents. Not allowed to go to muggle school, discouraged from playing with neighborhood kids, Remus knew his condition was one to be feared. He was dangerous and making friends would be dangerous, for the other children and for him and his parents, if anyone found out or something went wrong. So, he spent most of his time indoors reading with his mother and playing wizard chess with his father. It certainly wasn't the worst life, Remus thought, but it wasn't a fun one either.

Something moved slowly in the corner of his eye and Remus turned his head to look. He noticed a black and white cat stalking its way across the front grass and he smiled. He had always loved cats. After he had been bitten, he had developed a liking for anything that was unlike his wolf form, things that were gentle, comforting, sweet, intellectual, or cat like to oppose his brutal, out of control, harsh, animalistic, wolf form. Because of this, Remus loved sipping tea made with plenty of milk and sugar and wearing big, warm, sweaters and beanies. He loved reading books in the sunlight curled up in an arm chair or on his windowsill and eating his mom's homemade chocolate pudding. Mmmm Chocolate. Remus especially loved chocolate, and he especially loved cats.

He slipped off the windowsill and wound his way around his parents to the kitchen. Grabbing a saucer from a packed box and filling it with milk from a box with a cooling charm, he headed outside to do the only thing he enjoyed doing when they first moved to a new house. He set down the saucer at the bottom of the steps and gingerly climbed back up to sit on the landing, his long legs curled up against his chest. Sitting quietly, he waited. He never had to wait long. Slowly the stray cat he had noticed earlier approached the saucer, glancing up at him as it inched closer. Once it realized Remus wasn't going to move, it started lapping up some of the milk. Another smaller and greyer cat joined the first as Remus watched on. This was his other favorite pass time. Cats seemed to always find him. It helped that he set out warm milk for them to find, and sometimes a spare bit of leftover fried fish. These cats were quite friendly and as the black and white one came closer, Remus gently put out his hand. The cat moved its head against him, allowing him to pet it. Remus grinned, feeling truly happy for the first time that day. Every new place they moved to, Remus could always count on two things to be there for him, his parents and the neighborhood cats.


End file.
